Merry Ginger Xmas!

I had to dig deep into my scan archives to find a postcard relating to Christmas holidays! And voila - here is a joyous (and dancing?) Gingerbread Man, all the way from Nova Scotia. A curious fact (for me at least!) is that the Gingerbread Man cookies pre-date the Gingerbread Man fairy tale, and that by centuries..! The cookies could even have been found at the court of Elizabeth I of England. I don't know why I always assumed it was vice versa...Baking GB men (ha!) was never a tradition in my region, ours was much more modest in a way. The special cancellation is awesome, and who else to thank for it but dear Byron :) Another lesson today, that there is a Christmas Island in Canada, just east of Nova Scotia peninsula. Merry Xmas everyone!

Kitty Flower Power

I am not myself the greatest hippy fan, but I do like the series with kitty illustrations by Verkerke, one of which is this - the main reason, because they were one of the first non-view postcards I've ever bought! That was some 25 years ago, when I was studying in Zadar, and there was a great newsstand with such a vast choice of all sorts of postcards, a place I remember fondly, but also with a certain melancholy, as any true postcrosser I am sure can understand...in my country at least. I've decided to give this one a new life by posting it to my sister's address in Germany, with a special postmark...which reminds me...should check if there's anything interesting in that field these days. I find most of the special postmarks by our Post rather dull, I have to admit.

And yes, I have received some mail, after a month's hiatus, due to one of the mailmen quitting while the other one was on annual leave...! I think it was the last of it, as I haven't done any swaps in the last few months. I think I'll have plenty of time this winter writing posts on this year's mail...it's time, even if noone reads it lol

Duckling

 

To jump, or not to jump..? After all, it's just a bucket...

I have sent this postcard to the Central PO in Zagreb to be sent back with a special postmark - I wanted to see if it still works! Well why wouldn't it...some might say. But in this country anything is possible. I have jumped into a new job (again it had to be only for the season) and into the forum tags and swaps - as a result already received some great mail 💓 I am curious about the official postcards though, still haven't received any. I am also trying to scan all my collections - was successful with olives, Sagittarius and Absolut Vodka, as they are only (half) a dozen each; but donkeys await..!

Have a nice sunday all 😊

World Travel - Taiwan

One of the card series that I've mentioned recently :) I like receiving one example of any popular series, and this one is quite nice. It's been made even nicer with the colourful back and special postmark - thank you Jennifer :)

Postcrossing Meeting In Finland

Before I start sorting out my past cruise 'schedule', here is a fantastic card sent from a Postcrossing meeting in Finland - for which I am sure I have Marko to thank :) Just the number of people participating i.e. signing the card is amazing...and its cute how some use their own rubber stamps, frankly something I have been wishing to obtain for myself too. Then there is the fact that its a lovely UNESCO card, and then again that there is an official cancellation, and then its matching the stamp, I mean how awesome is all of this?! Once again hats off to the Finnish Postcrossing community...! :))

Valid While In Svalbard

...is a rough translation of this sign :) One of those desired getaway places, if only if it was easier to get to, but then again thats the point! Thanks to Tone for matching stamp and lovely cancellation :)

UNESCO - Sangiran Early Man Site, Indonesia

Sangiran Early Man Site is situated about 15 kilometers in the north of Solo town in Central Java, Indonesia, covering an area of 5,600 hectares. It became famous after the discovery of Homo erectus remains and associated stone artifacts (well-known as Sangiran flake industry) in the 1930s. There is a very significant geological sequence from the upper Pliocene until the end of Middle Pleistocene by depicting the human, faunal, and cultural evolutions within the last 2.4 million years.

Thanks goes to Shinta, who even included matching stamps and cancellation, and to Dionisus, great additions guys :)

 

Kornati National Park

This is one of my favourite views of my 'workplace' which is further in the background but in the national park. I am spending my last days here for this year, and if I'm lucky then for good. I've sent this card for another special cancellation, trying to keep to maritime images :)

Rue De Birague Café

Another Parisian café sent from Finland, while a song about daydreaming is playing on the radio...
With special moomin postmark

Café Cat, Paris 1975

One of the favourite cards I've received lately, also because it is kind of personal...Kiitos Marko ;) You see, I dream of owning my own cafe, and lately the thought has been visiting my mind more frequently, so much so I am looking at the legal predispositions. Exactly this kind of cafe, though you can't see much of it, but can imagine the quaint parisienne air about it...The cat of course is a bonus, and cat cafes are quite a craze these days :) I have stumbled upon one in Bangkok quite accidentally..! Hmm why not add a photo? This lady is taking a good care of the little ones :)

Well Hello There

After a long while I've (accidentally of course) found a new donkey postcard, and have decided to send it in an envelope to a nearby PO for a special postmark, just as a test if everything would go smoothly. And it did! Though 1/3 postcards still travelling to faraway Down Under, but hopefully not for long.

Mail Around The World!

It is only recently that I've started considering special postmarks - I used to get them from time to time on some of the postcards and covers, but I am not living near any philately office, sadly. When I checked the programme of issuing special cancellations on the official Croatian Mail site, I realised most of them are being used in the central post office in Zagreb...I was hoping there would be at least a bit more variety re: locations. Even when there are other locations, they are still quite far away. But I was in Zagreb last autumn just in time to ask for this special cancellation on the new stamp of the same theme - celebrating 100 years of birth of Ivan Generalić, a notable Croatian naïve art painter :)

I love naïve art! Perhaps not in every form, but this kind originating in a small village of Hlebine in northern Croatia really appeals to me. My great wish is to have one of those paintings on my wall someday :)

The choice of the card was purely accidental - once in the PO I was browsing their postcards to see if there is anything I'd like to have in my collection, a single example of this card was hidden behind many that I didn't like, and I LOVE it! <3 p="">

Elk, Fauna Of Belarus

To this day this remains to be the nicest mail I've ever received from Belarus - from the series of native fauna (all beautiful photos) comes this Eurasian elk (Alces alces) in autumn woods, completed with more of the fauna on stamps. Thank you dear Kate :)

I have been waiting for the opportunity to show these on Viridian's Sunday Stamps - last week was the perfect opportunity as the theme was mammals, but as I couldn't post them then I am using this chance with the  anything you wish theme. The stamps were issued back in 2007 in a set of 4 as definitives (and yet I've never received them on a postcard prior to this one, perhaps the value is meant for national usage only). The beauties/cuties here are as follows:

European polecat (Mustela putorius), Forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula)

Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)

In the middle not a stamp but a nice addition nevertheless, possibly of Red Deer.

A special cancellation being another bonus! xD

 

P.S. As I have learnt just now Belarus Post has a very nice and comprehensive web-site and philately corner, which helped me discern that the stamps are indeed meant for postcards (A) and letters (B) within Belarus.

 

More various themes here:

 

 

 

Jelenov Greben/Deer Ridge, Slovenia

This is a place where my sis and her family stayed last, doesnt it look so relaxing..? They fed deer some plums directly from a tree :) My first encounter with 'Postage Paid Slovenia' stamp, and a different version in Slovenian with the name of the PO. Cool to get a card from such a small place, I thought..!

Monte Carlo, Then And Now

Two postcards from Monaco, multiviews of Monte Carlo from 1900 and 21st century. Great stamps and very interesting stamp/cancellation with sharks, very happy! Thank you Ash :)

Tehran Metro Map

This is a hand-made postcard sent from Iran, with a colourful stamp (from a set of two) celebrating World Child And Post Day. The special cancellation is of the same image, I love details like that! Won the postcard in a lottery organised by i-puentchen, thanks so much :)

Another Round From Åland

My first two postcards from Åland arrived at the same time, and so did these two :) Love the matching stamp with the flag, and the stamp on the second postcard is kind of sandy to the touch on the part depicting the earthy road. There is a 'Viking Line' postmark too because it was sent from the ferry that traverses between Åland and Sweden. Great postcards, really happy to have them! thank you Maxim and Leila :))

Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand

 

Another surprise card which waited for me over the winter is this amazing view of the Marlborough Sounds, an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels, situated at the north of the South Island of New Zealand.

I always love new Zealand views, they are gorgeous without a miss - thank you yet again Heather :)) Love the stamps too, and of course the 'Middle-earth' cancellation xD

Buenos Aires, Argentina

The aerial view of Argentina's capital Buenos Aires with its extensive Parque Tres de Febrero in the foreground, situated in the city's largest neighbourhood (barrio) Palermo.

This postcard was received for a 12-12-12 date swap - the cancellation is wonderfully large and clean, but I have such trouble identifying the stamps..! They show Perito Moreno glacier and the southernmost city Ushaia, but there is no year of issue. Thank you Julio for this swap :)

Alishan Forest Railway, Taiwan

This beautiful black&white photo shows the Alishan Forest Railway, a 86-km network of 762 mm (!)narrow-gauge railways running up to and throughout the popular mountain resort of Alishan in Chiayi County, Taiwan. The railway, originally constructed for logging, is itself a tourist attraction with unique Z-shaped switchbacks, 50 tunnels, and over 77 wooden bridges.

This is the first self-adhesive printed stamp from Taiwan that I have seen; I love the special postmark, celebrating the 100 years of the railway's construction in 2011. (the year of the rabbit, as you can see..!) Thanks frankou!